Morning did not rush into the mansion. It settled quietly, as though the house itself understood that the people inside had only just found their way back to each other. The room remained still, wrapped in a calm that felt earned rather than fragile. Vivian lay close against Sebastian, her head resting lightly on his chest, her breathing soft and even. One of her hands remained over her stomach, while his rested gently above it, as though even in sleep he had refused to let go of both her and the life growing inside her. They had slept that way, held together, as though distance no longer existed between them.
